Los Angeles Dodgers: The Yu Darvish chase ready to begin

There has not been a lot of talk about Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish this offseason. That is about to change.

As the top pitcher available in free agency, one would expect that quite a few teams would be interested in Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish. Instead, while pitchers such as Tyler Chatwood and Miles Mikolas have signed, the rumor mill surrounding Darvish has been relatively quiet. At least six teams had shown interest in the Japanese righty as recently as two weeks ago, but nothing has come of those talks.

That may soon change. Now that Shohei Otani has made his decision to head to Los Angeles, albeit to the Angels, teams know that vacancy atop their rotation still needs to be filled. Those suitors may well start calling Darvish, looking for the ace that could make the difference in their postseason aspirations.

Despite injury concerns, including Tommy John surgery in 2014, Darvish has been a solid pitcher. Last season, he had a misleading 10-12 record, along with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.163 WHiP. In his 186.2 innings, he struck out 209 batters while issuing only 58 walks. Darvish did allow 27 home runs last year, a personal high, but considering the home run rates from last year, he is hardly the only pitcher with an elevated home run rate from last year.

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Not only does Darvish have a solid track record as a top of the rotation starter, but he also has another advantage when it comes to landing a contract. Unlike the other top pitchers in free agency, he does not have a qualifying offer attached to him. As he was traded during the season, teams can sign Darvish without losing a draft pick.

Of course, there are reasons for pause with Darvish. In addition to the aforementioned injury issues, he does have a lot of innings on his arm. At 31 years old, Darvish has already fired 2127.2 innings in his professional career between Japan and the majors. A long term contract running into his mid to late 30s could be a very risky proposition.

However, in a pitching market fraught with risk this offseason, Darvish is the best option. Although he had his struggles in Texas, and later in the World Series, he did perform well in Los Angeles. In his nine starts in the National League, Darvish posted a 3.44 ERA and a 1.148 WHiP, striking out 61 batters in 49.1 innings. Those concerns may be minimized should he land on another National League team.

Next: Can Dodgers be better in 2018?

The market has been quiet for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish thus far. That should change in the coming days.